10 2020s Found Footage Horror Films That Prove The Genre Is Alive and Well
Welcome to Ranking Horror. We are all done with our Greatest Horror Movie Nations on Earth feature and today it is time to get back to some more traditional lists. With this in mind, I wanted to check out 10 Found Footage Films From The 2020s That Prove The genre Is Alive and Well.
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The 2020s have been a bit rough, let’s be honest. As far as horror is concerned, however, things have been pretty cool. We have seen a bunch of marquee horror releases and even a few movies that have garnered a ton of mainstream praise. With that being said, Found Footage has been noteworthy for its seeming absence.
Well, no need to worry. Ranking Horror is here with 10 Found Footage Films From The 2020s That Prove The Genre Is Alive and Well.. Well, alive, anyway. Let’s take a look.
| Rank | Movie Title (Year) | The 2020s Hook |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Host (2020) | The Definitive Lockdown Séance |
| 2 | Late Night With The Devil (2023) | Retro Talk Show Possession |
| 3 | Deadstream (2022) | Influencer Haunted House Chaos |
| 4 | Incantation (2022) | Terrifying Taiwanese Folk Curse |
| 5 | The Medium (2021) | Shamanic Documentary Horror |
10. Murder Death Koreatown (2020) – A Descent Into Madness
- Director: James Lui
- Cast: James Lui
- Runtime: 80 minutes
- IMDb User Score: 5.4/10
Why it Ranked: This feels like a more recent version of the excellent French film Descent Into Darkness. It’s a total one-man effort that captures a disturbing investigation into a neighbour’s murder. While it splits the fanbase – some love the raw madness, others find it aimless – it’s an interesting outlier that avoids garden-variety tropes.
Synopsis: After his neighbour is murdered, a man becomes obsessed with the crime, recording his increasingly erratic investigation as he spirals into a world of dark conspiracies in Los Angeles.
Where to Watch: Amazon (Rent/Buy), Apple TV (Rent/Buy)
9. Hostile Dimensions (2023) – Multi-Dimensional Dread
- Director: Graham Hughes
- Cast: Stephen Beavis, Annabel Logan
- Runtime: 77 minutes
- IMDb User Score: 5.2/10
Why it Ranked: From the director of Death of a Vlogger, Graham Hughes, Hostile Dimensions leans into sci-fi horror in a big way. Critics really took to it, though viewers are a bit more mixed due to some plot holes. It’s ambitious for a small production, showing that found footage can go beyond just ghosts and into alternate dimensions while maintaining that intimate, handheld feel.
Synopsis: Two documentary makers investigating the disappearance of a graffiti artist discover a door to alternate dimensions, leading them into a surreal and terrifying journey through the multiverse.
Where to Watch: Amazon (Rent/Buy), Vudu
8. Life of Belle (2024) – DIY Family Tragedy
- Director: Shawn Wright
- Cast: Sybilla Deen, Richard Brancatisano
- Runtime: 74 minutes
- IMDb User Score: 4.7/10
Why it Ranked: This is found footage in the most traditional, DIY sense. It’s just a real life family working together to make something scary. Despite the obvious technical and budget constraints, it works because of the family dynamic. The kids really steal the show, and the use of home security cameras adds a layer of uncomfortable domestic realism that more polished films often lose.
Synopsis: Recovered footage from home surveillance and phones reveals the tragic sequence of events leading to a domestic tragedy and the disappearance of a young girl.
Where to Watch: Tubi, Amazon (Rent/Buy)
7. I Blame Society (2020) – Satirical Slaughter
- Director: Gillian Wallace Horvat
- Cast: Gillian Wallace Horvat, Keith Poulson
- Runtime: 84 minutes
- IMDb User Score: 5.6/10
Why it Ranked: This is both a fascinating character study and a black comedy that skewers the indie film industry. It doesn’t reach the extreme heights of something like Be My Cat, but it’s a smart, gory film that uses the found footage format to document a filmmaker’s transformation into a literal predator.
Synopsis: A struggling filmmaker realises her skillset for making movies overlaps perfectly with what’s required to commit a murder, leading her down a dark path to prove her point.
Where to Watch: Tubi, Amazon (Rent/Buy)
6. Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor (2023) – A Return to Form
- Director: Stephen Cognetti
- Cast: Bridget Rose Perrotta, Destiny Leilani Brown
- Runtime: 98 minutes
- IMDb User Score: 6.2/10
Why it Ranked: After a couple of lackluster sequels, this entry really saved the franchise. It sticks to the “Halloween Haunted House” vibe but moves the setting to the Carmichael Manor. It delivers the kind of creative scares and chilling atmosphere that made the original 2015 film a cult hit, proving there’s still life in the Abaddon Hotel lore.
Synopsis: A group of internet sleuths stay at a manor with a history of unsolved murders, recording their stay as the ghosts of the past begin to manifest with violent intent.
Where to Watch: Shudder, AMC+
5. The Medium (2021) – Shamanic Dread
- Director: Banjong Pisanthanakun
- Cast: Narilya Gulmongkolpech, Sawanee Utoomma
- Runtime: 130 minutes
- IMDb User Score: 6.5/10
Why it Ranked: Director Banjong Pisanthanakun is a legend for a reason (Shutter). This Thai/South Korean collab is gorgeous to look at and genuinely disturbing. It’s a bit long at over two hours, and the ending is divisive, but as a piece of folklore-heavy found footage, it is incredibly polished and atmospheric.
Synopsis: A documentary crew following a shaman in a rural Thai village discovers that her niece is showing signs of a terrifying possession that isn’t the ancestral spirit they expected.
Where to Watch: Shudder, AMC+
4. Incantation (2022) – A Taiwanese Curse
- Director: Kevin Ko
- Cast: Hsuan-yen Tsai, Kao Ying-hsuan
- Runtime: 110 minutes
- IMDb User Score: 6.2/10
Why it Ranked: Taiwan has been on a tear lately, and Incantation is another masterpiece of modern folk horror. It uses a non-linear timeline and a direct plea to the audience that feels unique if not a little bit cheesy. It scared the pants off people globally when it hit Netflix, proving that the Asian supernatural boom style still works perfectly in found footage.
Synopsis: Six years after breaking a religious taboo, a mother must protect her daughter from the repercussions of her actions as a deadly curse begins to take hold.
Where to Watch: Netflix
3. Deadstream (2022) – Haunted Live-Stream Chaos
- Director: Joseph Winter, Vanessa Winter
- Cast: Joseph Winter, Melanie Stone
- Runtime: 87 minutes
- IMDb User Score: 6.5/10
Why it Ranked: This is a brilliant mash-up of sub-genres. It perfectly captures the obnoxiousness of influencer culture while paying loving homage to The Evil Dead. It’s a high-paced, monster-filled fairground ride of a movie that manages to be both legitimately funny and surprisingly scary. Deadstream is one of the best found footage movies in years.
Synopsis: A disgraced social media influencer attempts to win back his followers by live-streaming himself spending a night alone in a notorious haunted house.
Where to Watch: Shudder, AMC+
2. Late Night With The Devil (2023) – Retro Talk Show Terror
- Director: Cameron Cairnes, Colin Cairnes
- Cast: David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon
- Runtime: 93 minutes
- IMDb User Score: 7.0/10
Why it Ranked: Technically unreleased footage of a talk show, this is one of the most unique horror films in years. The ’70s aesthetic is flawless, and David Dastmalchian is incredible. It blends subtle humour with legitimately shocking tragedy. Even if the ending isn’t for everyone, the journey to the “live” possession is a total blast.
Synopsis: In 1977, a live television broadcast of a popular late-night talk show goes horribly wrong during a Halloween special intended to boost ratings.
Where to Watch: Hulu, Shudder
1. Host (2020) – The Definitive Pandemic Chiller
- Director: Rob Savage
- Cast: Haley Bishop, Jemma Moore, Emma Louise Webb
- Runtime: 56 minutes
- IMDb User Score: 6.5/10
Why it Ranked: One of the greatest found footage movies ever made, and it was shot during lockdown which is insane when you think about it. It’s incredibly creative, using the Zoom format to deliver massive scares in under an hour. The innovation shown by Savage and the cast, directing and performing stunts remotely, is legendary. It turned 2020’s isolation into an absolute masterpiece of digital dread.
Synopsis: Six friends hire a medium to conduct a séance via Zoom during lockdown, but they accidentally invite a demonic presence into their homes.
Where to Watch: Shudder, AMC+
Still Shaky After All These Years
There we have it – 10 films that prove the 2020s are a golden age for the shaky-cam. From the high-budget polish of Late Night With The Devil to the DIY grit of Life of Belle, the format continues to evolve with our technology.
Found footage isn’t just “alive”; it’s thriving by holding a mirror up to our modern obsessions with screens and social media. Hopefully, this list has given you a few reasons to keep your cameras rolling. Why not flip the coin and take a look at some recent found footage stinkers? I’ll be back soon with more deep-dives into the movies you might have missed. Stay spooky.
📹 Quick Picks: 2020s Found Footage
- 🏆 The Essential Watch: Host (2020)
- 🎬 Best TV Retro: Late Night With The Devil (2023)
- 🏯 Best International: Incantation (2022)
- 🏚️ Best Haunted Series: The Carmichael Manor (2023)
- 🤳 Best Influencer Satire: Deadstream (2022)
